More Than Falling : Passion Vows and Babies: More Series Novella

More #8

by S. Van Horne, Cassia Brightmore (Editor), SK Designs (Illustrator)

AT TWENTY-THREE, ANGELA CHENEY didn’t date. Hell, she was still a virgin. She didn’t have time when her hectic life revolved around her job as a pediatric nurse in the surgical ward and school to reach her dream of becoming a physician assistant. With only two more years until graduation, she thought maybe she could finally settle down. That is — until she was targeted.

AT TWENTY-NINE, CURT WEIL was deep into his career as a FBI agent. He specialized in undercover, serial killers, and cold cases. He didn’t have time for love. Anxious to move up in the agency, he took a case that, not only shocked the nation, but had people on edge not knowing where the killer would strike next. Determined to wrap this up, he immersed himself into his work. That is — until he met her.

As the killer’s plan had been set into motion, they were forced to come together in a race against time before it was too late . . . again.

Will their love save them or will the situation call for something more?

Genres: Contemporary Romance, Novella

138 pages, Paperback

First published October 17, 2017

About the author

S. Van Horne was born and raised in the small town of Belton, Missouri, which is a part of the Kansas City metropolitan area. She is from a very large family and is the oldest of six. Growing up she did not have the easiest life. She learned quickly that family means everything, even if it is the type that you get to pick for yourself. She met the love of her life at the early age of 20 and was married just after nine months of meeting him. Shortly after marriage, her husband rejoined the U.S. Navy and they moved from Kansas City and started their journey together. Currently they have two amazing children, a boy and a girl, a sassy cat, and are still enjoying the Navy life.

She spends her days being a Navy wife, homeschool mother, reading books, writing her latest novel, watching her beloved Kansas City Chiefs or Kansas City Royals play, watching movies, hanging out with family and friends and having girls days at least once a month.

Reviews

[♡Tonya♡ · Rating 5 out of 5]

It's Live!

**ARC RECEIVED IN EXCHANGE FOR AN HONEST REVIEW **

4.5 stars

I absolutely adored this story and didn't want it to end. It was well rounded with action, suspense, romance and a healthy dose of heat (which I loved). I had not read the first two books in this series but I felt the author did an excellent job keeping the focus on the main characters and I didn't feel lost at all.

Curt- sexy FBI agent. He was trying to gain his footing and work his way up through the ranks of the FBI. He wasnt opposed to love, in fact he wanted it for himself - later. Fate has a funny way of stepping in - he sees Angela and it love at first sight.. He was protective and oh so alpha. Not portrayed as a manwhore in any manner. Top hero for me.

Angela- loved her. She too wasn't actively looking for love when Curt crossed her path. She had a meddling mom who wanted her to settle down and find a love like she had with her deceased husband. She was smart and driven. She had great friends and she fell hard and fast for Curt.... now she only wanted a chance to tell him.

-no cheating
-no ow/om drama whatsoever
-no pushing away
-steamy
-no excessive violence - the story is about a seriel killer but there are a lot of gory details
-safe
-a cute epilogue however I would have LOVED a further look into their lives. (that was my half star)

[Victoria]

DNF at about 60% - It looks like I'm in the minority here but I couldn't finish this. I never want to tear a book apart so I'll just say that it didn't work for me. I knew pretty early that the writing wasn't my favorite. I love guilty pleasure reads and sometimes end up really liking books that maybe aren't the best quality and I'm okay with that but this entire story just felt very amateurish. I thought maybe I could skim parts but in the end decided to put it down. I don't think I'll try anything from this new to me author again.

[M.L. · Rating 5 out of 5]

I've followed S. Van Horne's writing career from her first book. With each book, she keeps getting better and better and makes me fall in love with her characters, each and every time.

With her newest, More Than Falling, it's no different. I just plain love Angela and Curt. This story has everything you could want in a book: romance; suspense; a sassy, strong, and brave heroine; a swoon-worthy, overprotective alpha-male; scorching hot scenes; and a great plot.

So, if this is your first book by S. Van Horne, hold on for the ride and enjoy. If you're on the fence about whether or not to purchase this book, what are you waiting for?! One-click this baby so fast your finger gets whiplash because it's a must-read.

[Lynn · Rating 5 out of 5]

More Than Falling is the S Van Horne's newest release. It's a fun, sexy novella that bridges the gap between her More Series and the Fiona Davenport Kindle Worlds. Instalove at it's greatest, this little treasure is hot and suspenseful, but even better, we get the story of Curt Weil who we were teased with in Horne's previous work. Hot FBI agent? Sign me up!

[Lucy wright · Rating 5 out of 5]

Absolutely love this book!! Curt is the most sexiest alpha male I’ve ever read. His mine statement just blow me away. S van Horne did an amazing job with this book and making it flow and the instant love was absolutely sold to me. Definitely deserves so much more then five stars.

[Charlotte Coles · Rating 4 out of 5]

I really enjoyed watching Curt and Angela's relationship come together. I've read previous work from this author and enjoyed it as I have enjoyed reading this novella my only downside would be I just wanted more I didn't want the story to end!

[Trudy Dowling · Rating 5 out of 5]

There is a lot to be said for this short novella. When you are looking for a great romance but don't have a lot of time this novella can fit the bill. When you want to read an exciting thriller, this novella is perfection. When you want a story that packs a punch, building tension and giving you feel good ending this novella is for you.

Unfortunately, there is something to be said against More than Falling being a novella-----I wanted more. I know that everything amazing was packed into to story. It was exciting. It was a nail biter. It was a great romance-one night stand turns into more. I was enjoying it so much that even the HEA wasn't enough to take away the desire for more.

Pick up this book to read. Then pick up More #1, More #2, and More More More.

[Denese Sweeney · Rating 5 out of 5]

I really enjoyed this book. I fell in love with Curt (instalove)
Angela is such a little hot head at times, lol. The suspense keeps building. He has a job to do and she has a mind of her own. A mama that wants to be matchmaker, friends that think they know best, and a coffee shop that brews trouble. This book just makes you feel.... good!! Suspenseful, sweet and sexy.

[Fiction Junkie · Rating 5 out of 5]

Absolutely loved this. Great read.

[Sam Casey · Rating 5 out of 5]

This book was awesome, and I did not want it to end! There was suspense, love and an alpha man wrapped up in a nice little package. I want more. Read this! You will not be disappointed.

[Naomi Martinez · Rating 5 out of 5]

Loved it!!

I have never read S. Van Horne before but this book was great! I will definitely be checking out her other books. I really liked Angela and Curt and how she brought them together. I definitely recommend this book.

[Colleen (The Book Lover Blog) · Rating 4 out of 5]

Insta-love, suspense, steamy scenes, sweet moments… check, check, check, and check!

Being that this is a novella, the storyline is fast-paced and the romance between the main characters burns hot and fast. Angela is a brave, hard-working and strong woman, and there’s nothing not to love about super protective and super hot FBI agent, Curt! They make for a great pair. Neither of them are looking for love, but once they find it in each other, they’re playing for keeps.

I feel like things were a bit rushed towards the end i.e. solving the case and the reveal of the serial-killer but overall, More Than Falling is a quick and satisfying read! I look forward to reading whatever Sonya comes out with next.

[Kim Brewing · Rating 5 out of 5]

Alpha protective FBI and a wonderful heroine. Throw in a match making mom, a serial killer and some steamy scenes and you get a great read!

[January Apted · Rating 5 out of 5]

A great love story with a bit of suspense that will keep you hooked. I love this authors work and I can't wait to to see what she she has in store with some of the other characters in this story.

[Sheila'S Book Corner · Rating 5 out of 5]

This is my second book by S.Van Horne. This also being a Novella. This one was for the Fiona Davenport Passion, Vows and Babies series.

Like the first book I was enthralled and left wanting a full book. Her Writing is amazing and she gives you Amazing Characters.

It's fun, interesting and hot. Grab this hot quick read and I promise you will love if.

[Heather A Bamer · Rating 5 out of 5]

This book is a great read. It’s a quick read I read it a few hours. Curt is new in town he goes to a local bar that he has been to before and meets Angela. There love story is special. They love and help each other anyway they can. It’s a great read again. The ending made me cry.

[Natasha Mahadeo · Rating 5 out of 5]

Loved this book. Can't wait for more from this author...

[Rebecca Austin · Rating 4 out of 5]

Angela Cheney is 23 years old and a pediatric nurse on the surgical ward. After a stressful day working where she loses a patient she meets Curt Weil at Jumpin Jack and the two spend the night together.

Curt Weil is an FBI agent who is after a serial killer who seems to be targeting young women but they are desperate for clues, which the killer does not seem to be leaving.

Now Angela seems to be targetted by the killer and will Curt be able to put everything together before it's too late?

This was a great novella that was great for mystery and romance!

Angela was such a great character who was hit hard by the loss of a patient and I loved the instant chemistry that she had with Curt! I hated what happened next for both her and Curt as it was obvious they both knew how much chemistry they had for the other! It made me laugh how everything came together!

So I knew that the killer had to be someone who knew Angela but I wasn't sure who it was going to be.

The ending was super great and I look forward to more from the author!

[Sara Baker · Rating 4 out of 5]

I really liked this book! This series was SO easy to fall into and get hooked on! This book features Curt who is an FBI agent and Angela who is a student pursuing a career in the pediatric medical field. The two meet at a time when neither was looking for a relationship, after one night together they are both sure they have met their "forever". It may not happen though because of a serial killer on the loose, and Angela is his next target. The only complaints I could have about this is, its SO HARD to figure out in which order to read these books. There are multiple authors working on it and other series collide to make this book. I am finding it difficult to figure out in which order these should all take place. (They all do read as stand alone novels, its just not how I like to read them, I like to have a set plan to get all the character building in order) and two I WANTED MORE OF THIS BOOK! It was such a quick read, I think I finished it in a matter of a couple hours, and I LOVED IT! I can't wait to read more. :)

[Kristi · Rating 5 out of 5]

This is a quick novella about Angela, a pediatric nurse, and Curt, an FBI agent...already I like where this is going! Angela is dateless and is constantly harassed by her mother to meet the nice new man next door. Curt is the one she cant forget. A surprise meeting has these characters lighting up the pages and exploring their instant connection....but danger lurks as someone has Angela in their sights for his next victim.
Each book this author writes gets better. The insta connection Alpha Possessive (but not too possessive) vibe that Curt gives off is why her books work. Angela is feisty and a great match, and the author does a great job of building this connection in a short novella. (normally I am not a fan of novellas, but I am becoming one!).
All in all, a good addition to the More series!

[Denice · Rating 3 out of 5]

More Than Falling by S. Van Horne

HERO - Curt Weil. FBI Agent. 6’4 and muscular. Handsome and rugged. Light brown hair and eyes with a neatly trimmed beard. Tattoos. Baritone voice.

HEROINE - Angela Cheney. Pediatric Nurse. In college to become a physician’s assistant. Long, light brown hair and green eyes. Hourglass figure.

OVERALL THOUGHTS - Generally I liked it, but it’s also got a lot of issues. There are so many things that don’t make sense regarding their separation as well as the suspense plot. I’ll discuss under the spoiler tag.

First, Angela is a nurse and she chooses to have unprotected sex. That’s an interesting choice considering she’d only met him hours before. Then she sneaks out on him in the middle of the night, leaving her phone number, which he never finds. Hold on to that point because I’m coming back to it later. They are then separated for two months because neither wants to ask their mutual friends for help in locating the other. Granted, Curt is out of town and maybe he doesn’t have his friend's phone number on hand, but that’s never specified. Curt made the decision to wait until he’s back in town to contact him. For Angela, she went so far as to try and locate him at the place she thought he worked rather than just ask her friend’s husband for Curt’s number. It just doesn’t make any logical sense!

Back to the phone number she left on the bedside table for Curt. Curt says there was no number and I’m inclined to believe it because in the prologue, the killer has the slip of paper with her number on it. How in the world did he get that from the hotel room without Curt noticing? It’s never explained!

Anyway, they reunite and decide to use Angela as bait because the killer has made his interest in her known. He’s eventually caught and it’s revealed to be a classmate of hers. The weird thing is that classmate, Derrick, had been showing an interest in the female agent, Winter. That was never explained either. In fact, after Derrick’s caught, the killer plot line disappears altogether. We get no further scenes with him being interrogated, no explanation for why he was showing an interest in Winter...nothing! In fact, I’m wondering if the author named the wrong classmate and here’s why. There were two men who’d been flirting with Winter, Derrick and Chris. Derrick was shown trying to get Winter to agree to getting coffee with him when Curt and Angela carry out a staged fight. It’s then Chris who shows an interest in her wellbeing, not Derrick.

So yeah, the separation didn’t need to happen because it didn’t further the plot at all. It didn’t even cause a conflict because they were right back where they left off almost immediately. Why couldn’t they have still been together and just been physically separated for those two months. That would have made so much more sense and they could’ve used that time to slowly get to know each other over the phone since they moved so quickly physically.

And the suspense plot line in the end was just sort of a “well, I guess that’s it then” non-resolution. How are you going to give us snippets of the killer’s POV and then not give us at least an interrogation scene where all is revealed? There’s not even a hint of curiosity from Curt nor Angela as to why Derrick chose her. It was also never explained how Derrick chose his victims considering he was in school and the victims were always at different colleges in different states.

The writing itself was good. It didn’t feel clunky or have a lot of errors. There were quite a few side characters that got lengthy introductions thanks to this originally being part of Passion, Vows, and Babies Kindle World. I’m wondering if all that page space would have been better spent on building the main romantic relationship. Maybe then we wouldn’t have needed that two month gap.

All in all, it’s not a bad read, but it’s not great either.

SAFETY

Age: Angela - 23; Curt - Not mentioned, but there’s another agent who Angela says is in her late-20’s. That agent thinks of Curt as an older brother. So maybe late-20’s, early 30’s?

Sexual History: Angela is a virgin. Curt’s history isn’t mentioned so we don’t know when the last time he had sex was. He does say he’s got no desire to date or have a wife.

Condoms: Not used. I assume he used them in the past.

Heat Level: Medium - 2/5

Push/Pull: No

Separation: Yes Angela sneaks out the hotel room after they have sex, but she leaves her phone number. She’s upset when he doesn’t call her or try to find her. She’s also upset at herself for not waking him up before she left. They reunite two months later and she learns he never found her number and had to rush to catch a plane. He’d been in Nevada closing on his old house, spending time with his family, and then investigating murders in different states. Neither was with others during the separation.

Cheating: No

OW/OM drama: OW - no; OM - yes She’s being stalked by a serial killer. It turns out to be a classmate. He drugs her, but she’s found before anything happens.

Sex scene with OW/OM: No

Abuse: No

Possible Pet Peeves/Triggers: Yes Death of a child patient. Heroine gets drugged by the killer.

HEA/HFN: HEA In the last chapter, it’s five months later and Curt and Angela get married. She’s about eight months pregnant at that point. We then get one epilogue set three weeks later and she gives birth to a baby boy.

[Jaimed · Rating 3 out of 5]

I received a complimentary copy of this book. This is my honest opinion.

Angela is a nursing student and Curt is an agent at the FBI. They run into each other one night and can't stay away from each other. Their time together results in pregnancy and causes a serial killer to put Angela at the top of his list.

These two characters work hard at finding each other again after weeks apart. Once they know the killer is after Angela, Curt has to pull out everything he has to save her.

I liked the story and how it ties in with the rest of the series. The characters are interesting and the storyline is thought out.

[Gwen Pendley · Rating 5 out of 5]

One of my favorite series!! I love meeting up with old friends while making some new ones!

Top notch education, check.
Great job, check.
Awesome co-workers, check.
The best friends, check.
Romance and love - no time for that.

This is Angela's life and she loves it. Until one night when she meets a stranger in a bar and her whole world is turned upside down. The connection and the chemistry is off the charts there. And then Curt disappears out of her life. Once he returns, she finds herself the target of a serial killer. Can Curt protect her while trying to bring the perp down?? Can Angela truly have it all??

[Mary Fazzi · Rating 5 out of 5]

This is a very fast read!!! I wish there was more. Angela is a student working in the hospital. She goes out after a shift to a bar with co-workers. She meets Curtis and it’s an instant reaction for both of them. Curtis is in the FBI and is working on this case when they meet. One night of passion is all it took for both of them, but once he leaves and doesn’t contact Angela for 2 full months the hurt she feels takes a toll on her. When her mom wants to fix her up with her new neighbor she agrees and trying to relax and have an open mind. Great book that you can’t put down.

[Kelly · Rating 4 out of 5]

I’ve really been loving the More series and this was a brilliant addition. I was intrigued by Curt when we first met him and I have to say he more than met my expectations. Angela was a perfect match for him and if you love insta love with swoony alpha hero’s you’ll love this. For a short read it certainly packed a punch and was packed full of love, drama and heat. A perfect quick read that keeps you engaged from beginning to end.

[Tammy Deighan · Rating 5 out of 5]

Wow I wasn't sure how I was going to like this book at first but the Author got me sucked right in. This book had it all. Serial killer, love story , FBI and it all came together in a really great story. We think that things like this doesn't really happen but it does. For the main characters to fall for each other and the way it happened is really well done. Really enjoyed this book, didn't put it down because I had to see how it ended.

[Tessa · Rating 5 out of 5]

More Than Falling is full of mystery and suspense despite being a quick read. Angela and Curt heat up the pages fast but the twists and turns begin just as fast. This series has become one of my favorite for 2018 and even though More Than Falling is not a full-length novel, it brings everything together nicely and keeps you at the edge of your seat. I can’t wait for more from this author. I am left intrigued and ready for more from these men and women of The More series.

[Andrea Crawford · Rating 5 out of 5]

I have not read S.Van Horne before this, but I really loved this book! The story was well balanced with suspense, romance, comedy and drama. I would have really enjoyed a deeper look into their lives and story! Although, this story is great as written. If you enjoy stand alone romances with happy endings and some suspense and drama mixed in this is the perfect book for you!

[Samantha Waldow · Rating 4 out of 5]

If you like action, suspense and falling in love this is for you. Angela is a college student who's getting her degree to become a physician’s assistant. Working as a pediatric nurse she doesn't have time to meet a guy. Curt is a FBI agent on a case and meets Angela at a bar when they both are winding down. This book was good but short. I really enjoyed it.

[Kacie · Rating 5 out of 5]

This was my first book by this author and I want to read (I will be reading) more! It was a quick read but it was interesting and intriguing. I want to know the back story of the other characters and I want to see how Angela and Curt play out in the rest of the series. I thought the book had a great story line and the writing was fantastic.